


With My Life

by bogmermaid



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Why?, also guns and lightsabers don’t exist in my universe b/c swords are sexy and I say so, also lots of cameos from just a tonne of peeps from the clone wars series, also there are no droids, also there is a little background Padmé/Anakin at first, and everyone has to communicate through letters but spaceships exist, anyway Obi-Wan is Emperor and Anakin is his bodyguard, becuase fuck it thats why, but obikin is endgame, even though i do love Padmé she is my wife
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24412015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bogmermaid/pseuds/bogmermaid
Summary: Anakin Skywalker goes to Coruscant with hopes of becoming a knight, fulfilling his childhood dream of being able to protect people and finally being worthy of the Lady Amidala's hand in marriage. Instead, he ends up with a position in the Royal Guard, protecting Emperor Kenobi from assassins, pissy courtiers and marriage proposals. Anakin still hopes to improve his station and marry Padmé, but the more time he spends with Lord Kenobi the closer he becomes to the Emperor, and the harder the idea of leaving becomes...
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 18
Kudos: 75





	1. New in Town

**Author's Note:**

> Thousands of years ago the Sith and the Jedi destroyed one another in a great war that spanned the galaxy. To restore peace, the last Jedi established the Empire, destroying all knowledge of the great weapons used in the war and those who wielded them, and establishing the Knights to protect the galaxy. Thousands of years later, the Empire continues to expand with the help of a Clone Army, and spreads from the centre in Coruscant to deep into the Outer Rim. Freed from slavery by the Knights of the Empire as a child, Anakin Skywalker goes to Coruscant with hopes of becoming a knight, and ends up in the service of Emperor Obi-Wan Kenobi. But not everyone is happy with the Emperor’s rule, and soon Anakin finds himself risking his life to protect Lord Kenobi while growing ever closer to the enigmatic Emperor...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin arrives in Coruscant and immediately tries to fight everyone.

“Anakin Skywalker.”

Anakin looked up to the man calling him, and found himself faced with a dark-skinned man with close-cropped hair, wearing the white-and-blue uniform of a royal guard. A clone, Anakin thought. He had heard that the King kept them as his most loyal guards, but he had never seen one before now.

“Captain Rex?” he asked.

The man nodded. “The Emperor will see you now.”

Anakin took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. This was it.

He followed the Captain through the twisting corridors of the palace until they stopped at a grand set of doors, guarded by two more clones in uniform. Upon seeing Captain Rex the men stepped aside, and he walked through, Anakin following. 

Anakin didn’t know what he expected from the throne room of Coruscant, but it was not this. He had grown up surrounded by the elegance of the Naboo royal palace, with its great marble halls, mosaiced floors and frescoed ceilings. In comparison the throne room of the great capital was almost utilitarian, although Anakin could see shadows where tapestries likely once hung, and marks on the floor where heavy furniture had clearly been moved. But the walls were bare, and the only furniture was a simple throne upon which sat the most important man in the Empire. 

Lord Kenobi.

He sat sprawled out on the throne, leaning forward slightly to regard Anakin as he walked towards him. He was smaller than Anakin expected, but Anakin could see the bearing of the military in the cut of his robe, in his close-cropped hair and beard, and in the sword at his hip that looked more practical than ceremonial. He was also younger than Anakin expected, he couldn’t be above his thirties, and yet this man had been a General of the Imperial Army, before he overthrew the Emperor and became Lord of The Empire. Looking at him, Anakin could believe it. Even with his casual posture, this man had the bearing of power.

The Emperor was also more attractive than Anakin had expected, although he shut that thought down quickly. He was here for Padmé, he would not be distracted.

“So you are the Anakin Skywalker that Qui-Gon has told me so much about,” said the Emperor, smirking at Anakin. “You’re taller than I expected.”

This startled Anakin. He knew that Qui-Gon had been in the Imperial Army before he rescued Anakin from Tatooine and retired to Naboo, but he did not know that the man was close with the Emperor, or that he talked to him about Anakin. God, what could Qui-Gon have possibly told him.

As if sensing Anakin’s embarrassment, Lord Kenobi continued. “Apparently you were quite the handful, although last I heard you were captain of the Lady Amidala’s personal guard. An impressive feat for one so young, Qui-Gon wouldn’t stop talking about it last time he visited.”

Anakin blushed. This was not how he had expected this meeting to go. Was the Lord of The Republic...making fun of him? He needed to get this meeting back on track. 

He went to kneel in front of the throne, trying to look properly deferential. “My lord I have come before you to ask to be trained as one of your knights. As you say I have been trained by General Jinn from childhood, and have brought a recommendation from Lady Amidala.” He took said recommendation from his pocket, and thrust it towards the throne, keeping his head down as Padmé had taught him. 

“You may rise Skywalker”. The voice came from much closer than Anakin expected, and he looked up to find that Lord Kenobi had stood up from his throne and now stood before Anakin, his hand held out. Anakin hesitantly handed him the paper, which made Lord Kenobi smile as he took the paper, and used his other hand to help Anakin to his feet. His hands were soft, but surprisingly calloused. They were face to face now, or would be if Anakin was not almost a head taller. Up-close Anakin could see that Lord Kenobi’s eyes were blue-grey, like the sea on a stormy day, and yet were surprisingly warm. Lord Kenobi took the recommendation and handed it to another guard standing behind his throne, whom Anakin had not noticed until now, so captivated was he by the Lord Kenobi.

“I do not need Lady Amidala’s recommendation,” said Lord Kenobi, smiling indulgently at Anakin. “General Jinn has told me enough about you, I would happily take you on as a knight.”

Anakin lit up at this. Finally, he was going to be able to live his childhood dream, defending those who could not defend themselves. Finally he would be worthy of Padmé, and there would be nothing in the way of their love.

“However, knights start training as children, you must first become a squire and apprentice with an older knight, and the training takes many years. I’m sorry but you are just too old.”

Anakin deflated. Of course he couldn’t be a knight. He was of too low birth to be anything on Naboo, and now he was too old for Coruscant. It had been stupid of him to want more, he was just a slave boy from Tatooine, he would never be able to help people, he would never be good enough for Padmé. It was so unfair.

“Can’t you do anything about it?” he found himself blurting out. “I mean you’re the Emperor.” 

Lord Kenobi looked startled by Anakin’s outburst, but then frowned. “I’m sorry, but the training starts so young for a reason, it takes a lot of discipline to be a Knight of The Empire.”

This made Anakin angry. He was plenty disciplined! He was the youngest Captain of the Guard in Naboo’s history for a reason, despite being a slave from the Outer Rim. He had worked his ass off to be the best, and he was, far better than half the spoiled brats who become squires while he practiced until he bled. What did Lord Kenobi know? He probably hadn’t seen action since he stabbed the Emperor in the back, while Anakin had been forced to leave Naboo, despite being willing to die for Padmé.

Lord Kenobi seemed to sense Anakin’s mood, and put a placating hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, but I cannot change the rules for you. However, if you need a position I would be happy to have you as part of the Royal Guard. If you are half the swordsman Qui-Gon makes you out to be, we would be lucky to have you.”

Anakin looked up, surprised. “But I’m not a clone?” he said, puzzled.

Lord Kenobi laughed at that. “Don’t believe everything they say in the Outer Rim Anakin.” 

He patted Anakin condescendingly on the shoulder, and with that he turned away, and sat back down on his throne.

“Let Captain Cody here know if you wish to join us,” he said, gesturing to the guard next to him. “Otherwise he can show you out. Rex, if you could stay here, I need to discuss the latest report from General Windu.”

Anakin took this as a dismissal, and moved towards the door, before remembering he was supposed to bow and turning around. Lord Kenobi took the time to look up and give a small smile at Anakin's faux pas before going back to his conversation. Blushing, Anakin followed the guard, Cody, out the room.

Once they were out of the throne room, the guard turned to him.

“You have been offered a position as part of the Royal Guard by Lord Kenobi, but it is up to me to see that you have what it takes. Luckily for you, we are training new recruits starting tomorrow, you may join them if you wish to become one of us.”

The look on his face was calculating, like he was assessing Anakin’s worth and found him...lacking. Anakin puffed up at this. He was Anakin Skywalker, the Royal Guards weren’t too good for him.

“I haven’t decided if I want to join your little club,” he said haughtily.

The guard raised a scarred eyebrow. “Look kid, it is a great honour to be part of the Royal Guard and you should treat it as such. We don’t just take any punk off the street, the Emperor’s life is in our hands, and we will protect him with our lives if need be. I don’t know what the Emperor sees in you to offer you a position, but I expect you to take this seriously. So, if you think you can hack it then report to the barracks for training at sunrise tomorrow.”

With that he turned back abruptly, and marched back to the throne room, leaving Anakin alone in the hallway. Guess he was finding his own way out then.

It took a few tries, but eventually someone took pity on him and helped Anakin back to the hanger where he had left his borrowed speeder and-

“-Artoo! Were you a good boy for the nice young lady?” Anakin’s faithful hound ran towards his master on hearing his name, wagging his tail and trying to lick his face as the young mechanic smiled at them, giggling.

“He was no trouble at all mister,” said the girl, as Artoo ran back towards her. She smiled and leaned down to give him a rub between the ears. “Did you get to be a knight?”

Anakin sighed. “No, they said I’m too old to train. They offered a spot on the Royal Guard though, as if that's any consolation.”

The girl’s eyes widened in wonder. “Wow, the Royal Guard! Only the best soldiers get chosen to do that! That is so cool, I wish I could be a guard but I’m too young. Are you a soldier?”

“No,” said Anakin, confused. If only soldiers were offered positions on the Royal Guard, then why had they offered one to him? Maybe guarding the Emperor did take a bit more than guarding the daughter of the Lord of a small planet in the Mid Rim. Maybe Lord Kenobi offering him the position was a big deal. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to scoff at the offer. The young girl was still talking, interrupting Anakin from his thoughts.

“I’m going to be a knight one day, Knight Koon said so, but all the knights are away at war right now so nobody can take me on as a squire.” The girl looked sad all of a sudden. “I hope they aren’t away so long that I get too old like you. I bet I’d end up working as a mechanic forever.” 

She looked really dejected at this idea. Okay so maybe Anakin was feeling a bit too sorry for himself. After all, a royal guard wasn’t a knight, but it was a good position, and maybe he could still find a way to make something of himself and marry Padmé. After all, he was nothing if not determined.

He smiled at the girl. “Don’t worry I’m sure someone will take you on soon. Wars don’t last forever, and it’ll be ages before you’re as old as I am.” 

She smiled back hopefully. “You think so?”

“I know so,” he said. “And in the meantime, I’m starting my guard training tomorrow morning, and I need someone to look after Artoo for me. Know anyone who might be up for it?”

The girl beamed, her excitement matched by Artoo, who did always seem to have an uncanny knack of knowing what was going on. “I think I might have someone in mind.”

“Alright well, I’ll be back here tomorrow at sunrise. Who should I ask for?”

“Ahsoka,” she said, and went back to working on a speeder, humming happily.

Anakin jumped in his borrowed speeder, and whistled for Artoo, who came reluctantly after trying to lick a giggling Ahsoka one last time. Guess he was going to be getting up early tomorrow.

The inn Anakin stayed in for the night wasn’t the nicest of places, but it was clean enough, and let him have Artoo in his room since he refused to make him sleep outside. He didn’t have the best night's sleep, and only managed to wake as the first rays of dawn spread across his face through the window. Shit. There was no time to borrow a speeder, he was going to have to run across town to get to the barracks on time.

He was red-faced and breathless as he arrived at the hangar, where Ahsoka was thankfully already sitting, eating a piece of fruit. 

“Ahsoka, thank the gods,” he panted. “Where are the guards' barracks?”

“Morning Skyguy! You’re in luck they’re just round the back,” she said pointing in the right direction.

Anakin wheezed out a thanks and ordered Artoo to stay before sprinting in the direction Ahsoka indicated, arriving just as the sun crested over the barrack roofs in front of the guard with the shaved head from yesterday. Captain Rex, he remembered.

“Skywalker,” he said. “You’re almost late.” He raised an eyebrow. “I assume you’ll find it easier to be on time once you move to the barracks. Now get in line.”

“Yes sir,” Anakin said, gasping for breath. He moved to stand next to the other two men in the yard. They were both clones, although they both looked a lot younger and...less rugged...than Captains Rex and Cody.

“Skywalker, Fives, Echo,” barked Rex. “We’ll start with a tour of the barracks so you know where everything is, and then we can begin weapons training. Move out!”

The layout barracks turned out to be pretty simple, they all got their own rooms, which surprised Anakin. Being a slave on Tatooine, then training with Qui-Gon in the Naboo marshes, then being a guard in Theed, they all shared in common that privacy was something that could not be afforded. His own room was a luxury he had been provided very few times in his life. At least it means he could probably sneak Artoo in, with no roommates to complain. Apart from that the layout of the guards barracks were pretty standard, a hall where they took their meals, an armoury next to the courtyard so they could practice with arms when they pleased, and a physician's quarters nearby in case of injury. After showing the new recruits around, and assigning them their rooms, Rex showed them around the armoury, giving each man their own uniform, which they were in charge of maintaining, and then showing them the weapons.

“You will take a spear, a sword and a dagger. Choose wisely, for these are the weapons with which you will defend our Emperor.”

Anakin felt the sword at his hip, a gift from Padmé. The weapons before him looked good quality, but he was loath to give it up. 

He held it up to Rex. “Will this suffice, sir?”

Rex took the sword and held it, testing the balance before giving it a swing. He nodded and gave it back to Anakin. “Nubian steel,” he said approvingly. “Light and sharp, good for dexterity, if a bit lacking in brute strength. If this is the weapon you are comfortable with, I see no problem in you keeping it.”

Anakin smiled, sheathing his sword, but Rex caught his wrist.

“However,” he said, “I shall have to see you wield it before I make my final decision.”

Anakin nodded, and made his way to where the daggers were stored to examine them.

Once the men were properly armed, they lined up out in the courtyard again.

“Alright men, do you have your weapons?” asked Rex. They nodded.

“Good. Next we will be learning how to use them. I’m sure you are already well trained, but it is not just about skill.” He looked at Anakin while saying this. Rude. 

“Being part of the Royal Guard is about protecting the Emperor,” he continued, “and this requires skill with weapons yes, but it also requires discipline. I expect you to train every day, but I also expect you to keep your weapons sharp, your uniforms clean and your rooms tidy. I expect you to work together, and I will have no fighting between each other, or with anyone else unless they are a direct threat to the Emperor.” He was looking at Anakin again. “Got it?”

“Yes sir!” chorused Echo and Fives.

“Yes sir,” said Anakin, a little belatedly. Jeez, this guy really had it out for him. It was like he could sense that Anakin was trouble and well, according to every instructor he’d ever had, including Qui-Gon, he wasn’t wrong. 

“Alright men, let's start some drills.”

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, they practiced drills with spears, then swords, which Anakin was familiar with, and then broke into pairs to spar. 

He was put against Fives first, sword versus spear. Anakin defeated the other trainee handily, although it was more of a challenge than Anakin was used to. The clones really did live up to the stories of their fighting prowess, although they had nothing on Anakin, who had been training every day for most of his life, and according to most was a natural with a sword. He then went up against Echo, who he defeated even quicker.

Rex smiled at him. “Good work kid, you’re a natural. But don’t get cocky, you’re fighting me next.” 

With that Rex picked up two shortswords from where the dulled practice blades were stored, and stood across from Anakin in an opening stance. Anakin raised his own dulled blade, and then charged. They exchanged blows, testing each other's defences, before disengaging. They circled each other, Anakin assessing Rex. This would be more difficult than taking down Echo or Fives. Anakin tried to lunge again, but Rex caught his sword between his blades, twisting so Anakin struggled to keep his grip. He spun in an attempt to keep his blade, and tried to disengage, but Rex was already coming at him again, and then there was just the clash of their blades as Rex relentlessly fought, pushing Anakin further and further into the courtyard as he desperately tried to parry his blows. They were both fighting in earnest now, and Rex was a fierce opponent. Anakin was beginning to build up a sweat, breathing heavily as he tried to gain the upper hand. It didn't help that he had to keep track of two blades, parrying one as he dodged the other, his sword flashing as he tried to fend off double the attacks. 

Finally, Anakin managed to get in a hit, and one of Rex’s swords crashed to the ground. He thrust forward to end the fight, but at that moment Rex lunged, and grabbed Anakin's sword hand with his now free hand, twisting it behind his back. Anakin heard the clatter of his sword hitting the ground as Rex twisted his wrist, and then Rex’s sword was at his neck. 

Anakin could do nothing but sit and pant, the steel cold against his flush skin.

“You didn’t fight fair,” he accused.

He couldn’t see him, but he knew Rex was smirking. “Lesson number on kid,” he said. “If someone is trying to kill you, they won’t be fair. We are the Royal Guard, not knights. Anyone trying to kill the Emperor will not fight fair, and so neither will we.”

With that he took his blade from Anakin’s neck, and moved to help him up.

“Good work today men. Training resumes tomorrow at sunrise, don’t be late.”

He turned and headed towards the barracks. Fives and Echo turned towards Anakin. 

“That was so mighty fine swordwork there man,” said Fives.

“Yeah, I thought you had the Captain there for a second,” added Echo.

Anakin tried to smile, although it came out more as a grimace. “Thanks.”

“We’re going to get some grub in the mess hall, you wanna come?”

Anakin hesitated. “Sure, but I gotta do something first. I’ll see you there ok?”

The men nodded, and headed towards mess, while Anakin took off in the opposite direction. Time to collect Artoo from his babysitter.

Ahsoka was sitting on a ledge tossing a ball when Anakin came back to the hangar, with Artoo running to catch it. She turned and smiled brightly when she saw him coming.

“Hey Skyguy! How was training?”

“You know it’s Skywalker, right kid,” said Anakin, giving Artoo a quick pet as he ran towards his master.

Ahsoka shrugged. “Eh, I’m gonna call you Skyguy. I think it suits you, doesn’t it Artooie?”

Anakin gave a resigned sigh as his dog lopped back happily towards Ahsoka.

“Traitor,” he muttered accusingly. Artoo ignored him, tongue lolling as he let Ahsoka pet him.

Anakin shook his head. “Training was fine, got my ass kicked by the Captain of the Guards,” he said, trying to sound more nonchalant than he felt. In truth his pride was a little bruised, as well as much of his body. He was going to be feeling it tomorrow morning.

“Ooh, Captain Cody, or Captain Rex?” asked Ahsoka. “I bet it was Rex,” she continued, “Cody never leaves Lord Kenobi if he can help it.” She looked unbearably smug.

Anakin tugged her lekku. “You’re real nosy anyone ever tell you that?”

Ahsoka gave another smug smile. “Once or twice.”

Anakin shook his head again, a fond look on his face. “Look, I gotta get the rest of my stuff from the inn, you good to look after Artoo tomorrow?”

“Can I come?”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“I finished ages ago, I was just waiting for you.”

“Oh were you now.”

“Don’t get a big head Skyguy, I just didn't want to leave poor Artooie on his own.”

“Uhuh.”

They bickered like this all the way down to the inn where Anakin had been staying, sniping like they had known each other their whole lives.

There was a group of Weequays, pirates by the look of them, loudly drinking outside the inn when they got there, seeming to get louder and louder as Anakin settled his bill and collected his meager belongings. They whistled as Ahsoka walked past, making her shrink slightly. Sensing her distress, Artoo growled at them. One of them seemed to take offense to this.

“Will someone shut that thing up,” he grumbled, loudly.

Anakin turned towards the group. “Excuse me?” he said.

"I was not speaking to you, whelp,' said the pirate, giving Anakin a dismissive look.

"But I am speaking to you," said Anakin, his hand going to his sword, still sheathed at his hip.

The man regarded Anakin, and then, deeming him not much of a threat, snarled at him. “I said," he announciated, as if Anakin were stupid, "someone should shut up you mutt, or I’ll shut it up for you.” 

With that he aimed a kick at the hound, Artoo moving nimbly away and turning to growl again at the unpleasant man. Anakin unsheathed his sword, leveling it at the pirate.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said threateningly.

Ahsoka put her hand on his sword arm, trying to tug him away."Uh Anakin, I don't think this is a goo-"

Anakin shrugged her off. "Take Artoo back to the palace Ahsoka," he ordered.

"But Anakin-"

"Just do it Ahsoka!” he shouted. “And whatever you do, don't get help. I can handle this."

The pirates whistled and hooted at this. Ahsoka looked grim, but started running for the palace, whistling for Artoo to follow.

“Now,” said Anakin, leveling his sword at the man who had tried to kick Artoo. “I think I want an apology.”

The man snorted. “I’m not apologising to you.”

“Oh no not to me,” said Anakin dangerously. “To my dog. I think you’ve hurt his feelings.”

The man spat on the ground at Anakin’s feet. 

“Very well,” said Anakin. “Draw your sword, I think I’m about to teach you some manners.”

The pirates laughed uproariously. The man stood up, walking towards Anakin. 

“I think you may have miscalculated there whelp,” he said. “You see, there is one of you and -he gestured to his men- several of us.” The other pirates stood up, and also started to move towards Anakin.

Shit. Anakin may have fucked up. Oh well.

“I guess I’ll have to teach you all some manners then,” said Anakin, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

The Weequays laughed again, and then they were attacking. Anakin swiped wildly, trying to keep them away, but there were too many of them and eventually they got under his guard and started beating him. They hadn’t even unsheathed their weapons. Anakin tried to keep fighting, but there were too many of them. Eventually, he had to just lie on the ground as they beat him, curling into himself to try and alleviate some of the pain. He passed out pretty quickly after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you liked the story! Sorry about the quality, I do not have anyone to proofread and my spelling and grammar leave something to be desired. For example, I just misspelled grammar as I am writing this. Aaaand I misspelled misspelled. Fuck. Anyway, this is the first time I've ever attempted to write anything this long before (RIP my dissertation) but I have a few chapters written already so I should be able to post pretty regularly (for now), and hopefully the momentum keeps up. Hell, it's not like I have anything better to do right now. I'll probably post the next chapter next week, so let me know if you like what I'm doing and feel free to ask any questions in the comments. I cannot express enough that I have no idea what I am doing, so be nice, although I am happy to read any criticism. I just misspelled criticism, thank god spellcheck exists. Anyway, see y'all next week!


	2. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin survives a fight, gets into another fight and gets somehow promoted.

When Anakin woke up, his entire body ached. He groaned and opened his eyes to find himself not on the hard duracrete where he had fallen, but on a soft bed in a bright, unfamiliar room. 

“Ah Skywalker, I see you’re awake.”

Anakin turned towards the voice.

“Captain Rex?”

The Captain of the Guard was sitting next to Anakin, nonchalantly polishing one of his swords.

“Quite a beating you took there,” he said. “You’re lucky that togruta girl came to get me or you might be pulp.”

He sheathed his sword and turned to fully face Anakin, his dark eyes piercing Anakin as he spoke.

“I’ve got to say I’m impressed,” he said exasperatedly. “It took you what, one whole hour to ignore everything I told you. I mean, starting a fight on your first day, that's got to be some kind of record. I have half a mind to throw you out into the street, injuries and all.”

Anakin winced.

“However,” he continued, “you may be undisciplined, but you also have the potential to be one of the best swordsmen I have seen in all my years. Lord Kenobi seems to see something in you, so I’m giving you a second chance.” He gave Anakin a dangerous look. “Don’t let me down.”

Anakin was confined to his bed for a week, but once he recovered, he was put to work. As punishment he was given the nightshift doing rounds of the castle, which even a newbie like him knew was a tedious job. It could be worse, at least he got to move around, unlike the guards posted at Lord Kenobi's door every night, but at least they had someone to talk to. He had taken to bringing Artoo with him on his rounds for company. It's not like there was anybody around to tell him off in the middle of the night. With all his time spent either patrolling, training or sleeping, there was no time to get into trouble, and so Anakin’s first month at the Imperial Palace passed without another incident. Rex seemed pleased, and began hinting that soon Anakin might even move to a less terrible shift. This pleased Anakin, by this point he was tired of patrolling the same empty corridors, and even though he loved Artoo, he was beginning to miss talking to other people who could talk back.

It had been almost two months since Anakin had left the infirmary and he was halfway through another thoroughly boring shift when there was a noise from down the hall. Anakin sighed. It was probably one of the courtiers having a midnight rendezvous again. It was common knowledge that Lord Kenobi had little patience for courtiers, and refused to entertain the court as previous Emperors had, making the Imperial Palace far more quiet than would be expected for a palace of its size. Despite this, there were always visiting nobles and dignitaries, as well as those too stubborn to leave in the first place, so the palace was never truly empty. Anakin privately thought that the few courtiers in the palace at any time made enough trouble as it was, and he had learned quickly to announce himself before inspecting empty corridors and alcoves in the middle of the night.

“Who goes there?” he called.

The noise stopped.

It was a moonless night and Anakin had forgone his spear for a lantern, having learned the hard way that on the night shift, it was generally pretty important to be able to see where you were going. Besides, he still had his sword and dagger sheathed at his hip. 

He held his lantern higher, trying to see down the corridor. “This is the Royal Guard, show yourself or face the consequences!” 

Nobody revealed themselves, but there was a slight shift in the shadows. Artoo started to growl. 

“What is it boy?” asked Anakin. Artoo wasn’t one to react to nothing, although he was stubborn when taking a disliking to someone, even if that someone was as important as Lord Palpatine of Naboo. It had been a bit of a nightmare when Anakin still lived on Naboo, he had to keep Artoo out of the palace at Theed entirely, lest he growl at the Lord of Naboo while he was trying to have a pleasant conversation with his niece. But Artoo had so far been completely dismissive of the nobles in the Imperial Palace. Something must be up.

Anakin rushed forward, lantern held high, and found himself face to face with a Weequay. And not just a Weequay, it was the one who had tried to kick Artoo and then beat Anakin senseless with his buddies..

"You!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?"

"Well, well, well,” said the pirate. “I could ask you the same thing, whelp."

God Anakin hated this guy.

"I am a member of the Royal Guard," he said loftily.

The pirate laughed. "Ha! The Emperor must be getting desperate if they made you a member of the Guard."

Anakin glowered at the pirate, and unsheathed his sword. "I will not ask you again,” he said, lowering his voice dangerously. “What business do you have in the castle?"

"None of yours!" cried the pirate, and with that he rushed off, Anakin and Artoo in pursuit.

The man was quick, and soon was out of sight, but Artoo had his scent and would not let him go so easy. He howled as he sped down the corridors, and Anakin could do nothing but try to keep up. Soon people were starting to come out of their rooms to see what all the fuss was about, and as they neared the barracks, Anakin ran straight into Captain Rex.

“Skywalker! What is the meaning of this?” he shouted. “You’re waking up half the castle.”

Anakin doubled over panting, and tried to gasp out an answer. 

“Intruder. In the east corridor. Followed him here,” he wheezed.

“An intruder? Then why would he be in this part of the palace? And where did that dog come from?” said Rex, looking confusedly at Artoo, who was waiting impatiently for his master.

“Artoo’s my dog sir,” said Anakin, having finally caught his breath, “and he’s mad because the pirate and his mates are the ones who tried to kick him and beat me up.”

“Your dog...wait there are pirates in the castle?”

“Just one sir,” said Anakin. “I don’t know where the rest are…”

Both men then looked at each other in horror. The Emperor. Shit.

Without a word they took off running towards the Emperor's chambers. Two guards were lying outside the door when they got there, and it was eerily quiet within.

Rex and Anakin exchanged a look and unsheathed their weapons. Rex quietly opened the door, Anakin motioned for Artoo to stay outside and then they burst in, weapons raised. 

In the Emperor's chambers they were greeted by a strange sight indeed. The rest of the Weequay pirates were there, but they were all lying on the floor, dead, and Lord Kenobi was standing in the centre of the room. He didn't even have a spot of blood on his fancy nightclothes.

He looked up when Rex and Anakin burst in.

“Ah gentlemen, glad you could join us,” he said genially. “As you can see the insurgents are taken care of, so I will not be needing you assistance.”

“Sir-” started Rex, but he was cut off by the Emperor.

“Ah Rex, good you're here. As you can see Cody is injured and will need immediate medical assistance. If you could be a dear and take him to the infirmary that would be a great help.”

Cody was indeed lying on the floor next to Lord Kenobi, looking terribly pale and with a weeping wound in his arm.

“Oh and you should probably check on Waxer and Boil, I haven’t seen them and I find it hard to believe they didn't hear all the commotion,” Lord Kenobi continued, ignoring Anakin and Rexes incredulous looks. “Oh and if you could get someone along to get rid of the bodies that would be lovely.”

Anakin and Rex both stood gaping at their Emperor as he calmly spoke, surrounded by dead pirates. Rex regained his composure first.

“Sir, there is at least one more assailant in the castle, I cannot leave you here without protection,” he protested.

Lord Kenobi smiled. “I’m sure Skywalker can look after me,” he said airily. “Now if you could take Captain Cody?”

He was talking casually, but when he said this Anakin could see real concern in the Emperor’s eyes over his injured guard. How strange. Rex must have seen it too, because he didn’t argue anymore as he gently hauled Cody to his feet and led him out the room.

He turned as they came to the door. “I will send more men as soon as I can sir,” said Rex. He turned to Anakin. “Protect the Emperor, Skywalker. Do not let me down.”

His eyes were doing that piercing thing they did, but Anakin could see desperation too. Rex did not want to leave his Emperor. 

Anakin gave a serious nod. “With my life sir.”

Rex nodded, and left the room, Cody limping at his side, an arm around Rex’s shoulder for support.

Anakin turned back to the Emperor and found him now sitting in a comfortable looking armchair a little away from the various bodies

He regarded Anakin, and then spoke. “So Anakin, how are you finding the Royal Guard?” he asked. “I know it is not quite a knighthood, but it is a good opportunity to train with some of the best fighters in the galaxy.”

Anakin gaped at the Emperor. A bunch of pirates had just tried to _assassinate_ him, and he wanted to talk about how _Anakin_ was doing. The fuck?

“Uh, yeah training is good. I’m, uh, learning a lot,” said Anakin, at a loss of anything else to say. Was talking to the Emperor always going to be this perplexing?

The Emperor smiled, either not noticing or more likely ignoring Anakin’s bewilderment. “That’s good,” he said. “Rex says you’re coming along well, although I must say I haven’t seen him so frustrated by a trainee in a long time. You must be as good as Qui-Gon said, he was certainly right about you being trouble.”

Anakin blushed at that, but was thankfully saved from any more embarrassment by the last pirate bursting into the room, followed by an enraged Artoo.

“You!” exclaimed the pirate. 

“Me,” said Anakin.

“Is that a dog?” said Lord Kenobi.

Anakin turned sheepishly to the Emperor. “Sorry sir, that's my dog, Artoo. Now stand back, I’m about to take care of this scum.” He unsheathed his sword.

The man sneered as he brandished a cutlass at Anakin. This would be easy.

“Do try to keep him alive Anakin,” called Lord Kenobi as Anakin circled the pirate. “I would very much like to know who hired him.”

Anakin groaned. Not so easy then.

The pirate swiped at Anakin, but he parried, twisting the blade to knock it out of the Weequay’s hands. Finding himself unarmed, and perhaps finally noticing the bodies of his less fortunate comrades, the man turned to flee the way he came, but Artoo blocked the door, growling threateningly. Realising he was trapped, the pirate gave a desperate snarl and tried to rush past Anakin, whether towards the window or Lord Kenobi he did not know. On instinct Anakin swung, trying to stop him, but the pirate was too slow in dodging. As if in slow motion, Anakin could only look in horror as his blade moved swiftly through the air, separating the pirate’s head from his shoulders. Both fell to the ground with a sickening thump.

It took everything Anakin had not to throw up then and there, in front of the Emperor as he stared at the body of the man he had just killed. He jolted as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Lord Kenobi looking at him, concern written all over his face.

“Are you alright Anakin?” he asked gently.

Humiliatingly, Anakin felt his face go hot, and his eyes sting with tears. “I’m sorry my lord, I meant to get him to surrender but he just came running and I…”

Tears were falling freely down his face now, and Anakin wanted to fall to the ground with the weight of them. Then the hand on his shoulder was pulling him closer and he found himself being embraced firmly by Lord Kenobi. The Lord of the Empire rubbed soothing circles on Anakin’s back as he soothed him, and Anakin could do nothing but let him as he weeped.

“There, there,” said Lord Kenobi. “It’s alright Anakin, it’s never easy the first time someone dies at your hand.”

They stood like that for a while, but all tears must eventually dry, and soon Anakin found his had stopped, and he was now just standing, his tear-stained face pressed into the Emperor’s nightshirt. He smelled nice, Anakin thought, like clean cotton and the musk that all humans have, different for everyone, but still intrinsically comforting in it’s reassurance that you are not alone. But it would be appropriate to continue clinging to the Lord of the Empire, and so Anakin let go, and Lord Kenobi did too, hands still firmly on Anakin’s shoulders as he looked into his eyes, checking Anakin with concern.

He moved a hand and for a moment Anakin thought lucidly that he was going to wipe the tears from Anakin’s face, but the move was aborted as though it had never happened, and Lord Kenobi clapped Anakin’s shoulders before moving his hands back to his sides.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes, my lord,” said Anakin. “Sorry for killing him, now we won’t know who sent him.”

“It’s alright Anakin,” said Lord Kenobi reassuringly. “He is not the first, and he will not be the last. We shall just have to ask the next one, hmm?”

Anakin laughed wetly, and then stopped, looking pensive. 

“Someone is trying to kill you?” he asked.

Obi-Wan sighed, suddenly looking very tired. “I am the Emperor Anakin,” he said. “Someone is always trying to kill me. But they have been getting more numerous lately, and more bold.”

He gave Anakin a serious look. “But this is not common knowledge. Only the Royal Guard are aware of how many attempts there have been, and only Rex and Cody know that I suspect they are connected. It is of vital importance that word of this does not get out, understand?”

Anakin nodded. He had been one of the Royal Guard for almost a month now, he had seen the loyalty the other men exhibited for their Emperor, but he had not felt it himself until this moment, standing in the room of a man who had been kind to him, who had offered him comfort when he could have scolded him, surrounded by the bodies of those who would do him harm. Anakin would not let harm come to Lord Kenobi, he knew this now, and from the look on his face Lord Kenobi knew this too. Somehow, Anakin doubted the man would abuse this trust. 

It was not much later that the guards Rex had sent turned up, and not long after that that servants turned up with old sheets and grim expressions to get rid of the bodies, and then scrub the floors of the room until they gleamed, no trace of the night's activities left behind. While this happened Anakin stood beside Lord Kenobi, who only sat and watched the proceedings from his armchair, declining when a servant offered to make another room up for him so he may sleep. Artoo stood immovable in front of both of them, growling if anyone came too close, until someone had the bright idea to send Ahsoka, who turned up eyes bleary from sleep, and managed to bribe Artoo away with some food stolen from the kitchen. Eventually, the servants had left and the guards were dismissed, leaving only Lord Kenobi and Anakin as the sun began to rise, filling the room with the sound of bird song and golden light. 

It made Lord Kenobi glow, and Anakin found himself staring as the man rose from his chair and went to stand in the window, closing his eyes in the sun in a moment of peace. He was beautiful. Anakin shook his head, it had been a long and emotional night, he needed to get some sleep. He would miss morning training, but somehow Anakin thought Rex would forgive him.

“If it is alright with you sir, I think I should go to bed now, my shift is long over and I think we both could use some rest.”

Lord Kenobi startled, seemingly having forgotten Anakin was there, but recovered quickly, and gave Anakin a small smile.

“Of course,” he said. “Sleep well.”

Anakin smiled back, and for a moment it felt like they were sharing something with their smiles, something only they could understand, but then Anakin bowed and turned to leave, breaking the moment. He headed towards the barracks shaking his head slightly. He really needed some sleep.


	3. The Royal Bodyguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin's first day as royal bodyguard, where he definitely doesn't get into any more fights.

Anakin ended up sleeping until dinner after the incident, the long, deep sleep one can only have after a good cry. He woke up starving, and no wonder, he hadn’t eaten since before his last shift almost a day ago. Artoo was not around, likely still with Asoka, or Anakin was sure he would have been woken up hours ago by a hungry dog. Heading to the mess hall, Anakin took some stew and some bread and headed to the table where he usually ate with Fives and Echo and some of the other newer guards. 

They all looked up expectantly when Anakin sat down. Guess news about last night's uninvited guests had got out then.

“What do you want?” he asked resignedly. 

“Is it true there was an assassination attempt last night? Cody, Waxer and Boil are all in the infirmary, it’s all anyone can talk about!”

“I heard Cody took on ten pirates at once before he got taken down,” said one guard.

“Yeah well I heard it was twenty pirates, and that Lord Kenobi fought them all bare-handed,” said another.

“Come off it,” said the first. “Nobody can fight twenty pirates, not even Lord Kenobi.”

“I heard that Lord Kenobi has a Mandalorian blade, and that's what he fought them with,” said Fives.

The guards’ eyes all widened at that. Mandalorian weapons were legendary, but rare, and the method of making them had been lost long ago. Many had tried, but none had yet been able to replicate them. Anakin could count on his hands the number of blades that still existed. God, what he wouldn’t give to even hold one.

“Is it true that the Emperor has a sword of Mandalorian steel, Anakin?” asked Echo, breaking Anakin out of his thoughts.

Anakin didn’t know, and was about to answer as such when a shadow fell across the table.

“It is,” said Captain Rex from behind them. “But, if you are doing your job Echo, he should never have to use it.”

The guards all looked guilty at this, and a hush fell over the table. Rex turned to Anakin.

“Skywalker,” he said. “A word?”

Anakin looked regretfully at his untouched stew, but followed the captain into the hallway.

Rex led Anakin to his office and sat down at his desk, motioning Anakin to sit across from him.

“As I’m sure you’re aware,” he said once Anakin had taken a seat, “Captain Cody is still in the infirmary after last night's...events.”

Anakin nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Well I won’t lie, he’s been injured pretty badly, and he certainly won’t be leaving for a while. Waxer and Boil are fine thankfully, just knocked out, but Cody’s pretty laid up.”

Anakin was confused now. Why was Rex telling _him_ this? “Why are you telling _me_ this, sir?” Anakin asked.

Rex sighed. “Well, with Cody out for the count we need someone to replace him as Lord Kenobi’s chief bodyguard, and for some reason beyond my comprehension the Emperor has requested you for the position.”

Anakin sat back, gobsmacked. “Me?”

“Yes Skywalker, you. I don’t understand it either, but despite the plethora of much better trained people for this position, the Emperor has insisted on you, so I guess we’ll just have to make the best of it.”

'Making the best of it' turned out to mean trying to stuff so much etiquette into Anakin's brain that he felt like his head would explode, although it was at least agreed begrudgingly that he was a competent enough fighter for the job. Even Cody and Yularen, the palace steward, got involved, although neither seemed particularly happy with their pupil. It seemed like a lot of work for a job that basically boiled down to standing silently behind the Emperor and attacking people that attacked him, but all Anakin got were three freakily in-sync eye rolls when he said as much. Eventually, they had to call it a night, but none of Anakin's teachers seemed particularly confident that any of what they had told him had stuck in his head.

“Just, just don’t speak unless spoken to and don’t get in the way,” said Yularen as they left the infirmary.

“And don’t let the Emperor out of your sight,” added Cody dangerously. “If you screw this up don’t think I won’t find a way to make your life miserable, even if I can’t leave this bed.”

Rex just gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, his face grim. “Good luck kid.”

Anakin bristled at the lack of faith. Sure, he had only been in the Imperial Palace a few months, but he had been a guard on Naboo for years, he did know what a bodyguard was supposed to do. And he did know etiquette, he just mostly chose to ignore it. Padmé had never seemed to mind, she had always been fond of his rebellious spirit, so like her own, although her uncle had been a little less happy about it. Insubordination was probably not going to fly with the Emperor though. Oh well, Anakin just had to be quiet and unobtrusive. How hard could that be?

Anakin arrived at Lord Kenobi’s rooms bright and early the next morning. He nodded at the guards at his door, and let himself into the Emperor’s rooms. Wooley was waiting for him outside the bedchamber, and nodded as the exchanged positions. 

“He should be awake by now, you can go in if you’re quiet,” said the clone, gesturing towards the bedroom. He clapped Anakin on the shoulder before heading off. “Good luck kid.”

When Anakin entered the bedroom, the Emperor was sitting on the carpet, legs crossed, eyes closed, seemingly deep in meditation. Anakin had seen Qui-Gon do the same thing often, although Anakin himself had never managed to get the hang of it. He was never one for sitting still. Qui-Gon had liked to be undisturbed while meditating (although he had rarely achieved this with a young Anakin running around) so Anakin decided not to announce himself, and instead moved to stand in the corner, practicing being silent and unobtrusive. 

He obviously didn’t do a very good job, Lord Kenobi opened his eyes as the door shut behind Anakin and gave a small smile.

“Hello Anakin,” he said, his normally crisp voice roughened by sleep.

Anakin bowed at the waist as he had been taught. “My lord.”

Kenobi’s smile widened. “I see Yularen got to you,” he said fondly. “And here I thought we were becoming friends. I think we can dispense with the formalities when we’re alone, don’t you Anakin?”

Anakin blushed (why did this always happen when he was around the Emperor) and gave a small nod. 

“Yes, my lord- uh I mean yes sir- um Lord Kenobi?” he stuttered.

Lord Kenobi gave a sigh. “I suppose that will do,” he said. “Now, Yularen will be here soon, do you have any questions before he gets here?”

Anakin shook his head. “No my lord.”

Lord Kenobi looked dubious, but did not comment, instead choosing to move towards his desk and ring a small bell. Almost immediately the room was inundated with servants, one headed directly to what Anakin assumed was the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water, others turning down the bed, and still more flowing through the door weighed down with yards of cottons and silks. The Emperor moved towards the bathroom, servants laden with towels and robes following, and disappeared behind a screen. Anakin wisely decided to stay where he was, eyes downcast, ignoring the pink flush creeping up his cheeks. 

Several minutes later the Emperor exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam, wearing an under-robe and smelling of several very nice things that Anakin could not name. He stood patiently with his arms out as he was helped into a simple yet elegant cotton kimono, and then as an elaborate obi was tied behind his back. A servant moved forward with what looked like a crown, but the Emperor shook his head minutely and the servant turned back, setting it back on a cushion.

Apparently deemed ready for the day, the servants then melted back into the corridors from whence they came, and Lord Kenobi moved towards a room that turned out to be some kind of private dining room. An elaborate breakfast was laid out on the table, along with a teetering tower of letters. Lord Kenobi sat at the head of the table and began tucking into both the breakfast and the letters. Anakin stood in the corner, keeping an eye on the doors. 

Looking up from a particularly long scroll, Lord Kenobi’s eyes met Anakins. 

“You can sit, you know,” he said. “I am yet to be attacked while eating my breakfast.”

“It would be improper, sir,” said Anakin, trying to remember Cody and Yularen’s lectures. The food did look awfully tempting though.

Lord Kenobi snorted. “Anakin I don’t think you have been proper one day in your life. Now come, have some breakfast, they always send too much.”

Anakin considered, looking longingly at the fragrant meats, delicate pastries and bright exotic fruits he couldn’t even begin to name, but was interrupted before he could make a decision by Yularen sweeping into the room, carrying yet more stacks of letters.

Lord Kenobi gave Anakin a look that told him this argument was not over, and then turned to give his full attention to Yularen. Yularen for his part ignored Anakin completely, and after dispensing the appropriate formalities he immediately started talking about a dozen urgent matters in the palace and across the galaxy. Anakin tuned him out.

Eventually, after even Lord Kenobi’s eyes started glazing over, Yularen finished and with a pointed question about how _the new bodyguard was doing_ . Lord Kenobi politely praised Yularen’s teachings, making the steward puff up happily, and then with a warning look at Anakin to _not let him down_ , he swept out the room.

“Do you have to do this every morning?” asked Anakin, forgetting himself for a second.

This made Lord Kenobi smile again. It was like watching the sun come from behind a cloud Anakin thought, before pushing it down guiltily.

“Yes Anakin,” Lord Kenobi said sardonically. “Such is the joy of being emperor. Now have some breakfast before it is cleared away, I need to get through at least some of these letters before I meet my adoring subjects.”

Anakin spent the next hour or so watching Lord Kenobi read letters, which seemed to do nothing but deepen the crease between his eyebrows, and occasionally make him stroke his chin thoughtfully as he considered them. The ones that warranted replies were given to Lord Kenobi’s young secretary, who enthusiastically introduced himself as Korkie Kryze. He dutifully copied out what Lord Kenobi dictated in a neat hand, sealing them with the Emperor’s seal and handing them off to various servants and pages who flitted in and out the room as they worked. Korkie and Lord Kenobi eventually convinced Anakin to sit down, and Korkie was teaching him how to properly seal a letter with wax when one of the guards came through, announcing that Lord Cho of the Pantorum System had requested an audience.

Lord Kenobi looked at the table, which at this point was strewn with letters, papers and ink and to Anakin, who had somehow gotten hot wax on his hand and was waving it in pain as Korkie laughed. He looked back to the guard.

“Could you ask Lord Cho to give us five minutes,” he said.

The guard raised an eyebrow, but nodded and left. 

“Korkie, Anakin, help me move these papers to my desk without disrupting the system,” he said, starting to collect the various scrolls and pages into piles, “otherwise I’ll never be able to find anything again.”

“System?” said Anakin, looking pointedly at the mess on the table.

Lord Kenobi gave him a withering look. “On second thought, Anakin don’t help, just go get my crown from the bedroom and then stand behind me _silently._ ”

Korkie and Lord Kenobi began frantically gathering up papers while Anakin went through to the bedroom, finding the crown on the same cushion it had been left this morning. It was only a simple gold coronet, and yet it was heavier than he expected when he picked it up. He dutifully passed it to Lord Kenobi when he entered the dining room, who quickly put it on his head with a well-practiced grace, before fixing himself in an elaborate mirror. Korkie continued madly sweeping papers off the table and into heaps which he hastily carried to the next room until the table was clear. A servant had already cleared the breakfast food, and was now polishing the table vigorously to remove all traces of wax, ink and crumbs.

By the time Lord Cho arrived the room was sparkling clean, with Lord Kenobi sitting looking very regal and serene at the head of the table, and Anakin standing behind him. 

Lord Cho gave a shallow bow as he entered the room. “Lord Kenobi,” he said, his voice pompous and unpleasant.

“Lord Cho. How may I be of service?” Lord Kenobi asked pleasantly, making a gesture for the System Lord to sit.

The lord puffed up, and said, “I have come from Pantora to request troops to help take back Orto Plutonia from the Talz. As I am sure you have heard, they have been destroying our bases on the planet, and refuse to recognise me as their ruler, nor you my lord” -he gestured grandiosely at Lord Kenobi- “I need troops to bring them to heel, so we may continue our effort to survey the planet. For the glory of the Empire of course,” he added, almost as an afterthought.

Anakin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

Lord Kenobi gave the lord an unreadable look. “Of course,” he said slowly. “I would love to help you Lord Cho,” he continued, “but since they were only recently discovered, the Talz are not recognised as citizens of the Empire, and so you and I have no power over them.”

Lord Cho spluttered. “But Orto Plutonia is part of my system!” he exclaimed.

Lord Kenobi’s eyes were steely now, his voice cold. “When it was believed uninhabited,” he said. “Now the Talz have claimed the planet as theirs, and as you are well aware Lord Cho, the Empire is no longer in the business of conquering inhabited planets.” 

“They are barely even sentient!” Lord Cho protested. “They are beasts!”

“Really? My envoy said that they had a rather fruitful trip, the Talz even agreed to allow a scientific expedition to stay with them and explore the planet, as long as they respect the clan’s rules.” 

Lord Cho was quite purple now. “Your envoy? You have no right!”

“I have every right, Lord Cho,” said Lord Kenobi, dangerously pleasant. “I am the Emperor, or have you forgotten?”

Lord Cho stood abruptly, his seat squealing with the force, and pointed an accusing finger at the Emperor. “You backstabbing little-”

He was interrupted by the shing of a sword being unsheathed.

Anakin leveled his sword threateningly at the Lord of Pantora. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” 

Lord Cho looked between the sword and the Emperor disbelievingly, before sulkily sitting back down.

“Are you going to let your guard threaten me?”

Lord Kenobi sighed. “Put your sword away Anakin.” He gave the lord a pointed look. “Lord Cho was just leaving.”

“This is not over Lord Kenobi!” Lord Cho shouted, storming out the room with a swish of his cloak.

Lord Kenobi and Anakin gave each other a disbelieving look at the man’s abrupt departure, before breaking down simultaneously into giggles.

“This isn’t over Lord Kenobi!” mimicked Anakin, failing somewhat to capture the pomposity of the Lord’s voice with his outer rim drawl. “Ugh that sleemo. I can’t believe you let him talk to you like that.”

Lord Kenobi gave Anakin a look. “I am Emperor Anakin, I cannot fight everyone I disagree with.”

“Why not?”

Lord Kenobi gave Anakin a wry look. “I may be Emperor Anakin, but even I cannot fight all the System Lords at once,” he replied, voice as dry as the Tatooine desert. “The System Lords may disagree with me, but there is little they can do about it. Besides replacing me of course.”

Anakin startled. “Do you think Lord Cho is the one trying to kill you?” He looked accusingly at the door where the lord had just departed.

Lord Kenobi sighed. He seemed to do that a lot. “No, his ambitions don’t stretch so far. I do not fear the lords who oppose me, their motives are clear.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully. “No, it is those who are quietly malcontent. The ones who support me in public but disparage me in private. They are the ones who would stab me in the back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the nice comments, they’ve really been cheering me up when quarantine gets a bit much. I won’t be updating next week because I spent all week knitting socks instead of writing, but don’t worry too much, I'll eventually run out of wool and have to start writing again. See y'all in two weeks with Chapter 4!


	4. Going Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin starts to get a hang of this whole bodyguard thing, and goes out to celebrate with the boys.

Anakin managed to go the rest of his first day as Royal Bodyguard without pissing anyone else off, even managing to stand through a whole council meeting silently and respectfully, although it could be argued that this was more due to fear of General Windu than any repentance for his actions. For his part, Lord Kenobi scolded Anakin for being rude in front of officials, but he always looked privately amused by his antics, and did admit in private that meetings were a lot less tedious since every courtier became afraid of his hostile new bodyguard. So, Anakin continued to glare at rude petitioners, and Lord Kenobi continued to have surprisingly productive meetings.

Anakin soon got into the pattern of the days, with most of his time spent either standing threateningly behind the Emperor in meetings and official appearances, or in his private rooms, helping Lord Kenobi and Korkie with letters. Eventually, he got the hang of wax seals and even began to grasp the intricacies of the Emperor’s convoluted ‘filing system’, which only Korkie and Lord Kenobi were able to truly parse. Very few letters made it to the ‘important’ pile, with the biggest pile always being the least urgent, which mostly consisted of System Lords complaining. But, even the least urgent, most inconsequential and convoluted letters had to be dealt with, and Lord Kenobi would trust no-one else to do it. Anakin began offering suggestions for replies to the more tedious ones, but he was always deemed far too aggressive, undiplomatic or ridiculous by Lord Kenobi. Nevertheless, the suggestions always at least made him smile. Anakin began to live for those moments where Lord Kenobi’s lined brow would unfurrow for a moment, and even more for the crinkles around his eyes and mouth when Anakin said something he deemed particularly absurd. More and more Anakin found himself trying to make the Emperor laugh, although he rarely succeeded. 

More than letters and meetings, it was petitions that seemed to bother the Emperor most, furrowing his face into a deep contemplative frown for hours afterwards that could not be interrupted by any of his staff or guards. Thankfully, petitions were only held once a week, but audiences started at dawn and didn't end until far after the sun had set. People came from all over the galaxy to be heard, whether they be farmers seeking to settle land disputes on planets too remote to even have System Lords, small groups looking to colonise far-off worlds, or System Lords looking for suitable matches for their daughters. Lord Kenobi listened to each petitioner with rapt attention, and always took time to consider what they had said, from the poorest moisture farmer to the richest System Lord. For his part, Anakin stood behind the Emperor’s throne and kept an eye on the petitioners. They were vetted before they were allowed an audience, but it had been instilled into him by the Captains that this system had failed before, and you never knew who was concealing weapons on their person, or what their true motives were. 

Unlike meetings with officials and courtiers, Anakin also could not help but listen to the petitioners, who painted a bleak picture of the galaxy. Besieged by pirates, slave traders, crime syndicates and negligent or corrupt System Lords, the people of the galaxy had a lot of complaints to bring to their Emperor. Lord Kenobi listened, but Anakin had listened to enough council meetings by now to know that there was often little he could do to help these people. With the freeing of the clones and the end of their production on Kamino after Lord Valorum’s death, the army was smaller than it had been for centuries, and was spread thin dealing with the many problems in the vast galaxy. New volunteer troops were being trained, but they took much longer to train than clones, and were not nearly as efficient or disciplined. Often Anakin wished he could just run off and help these people, taking a ship and going out into the galaxy to fight every corrupt politician who allowed their people to suffer. Sometimes when he looked at Lord Kenobi, he almost thought he could see the same expression. But they were both trapped by their positions, and so Lord Kenobi would give what he could to the people who came asking for help, and both he and Anakin would watch as they left, back to problems that neither of them had the power to solve.

Anakin knew from talking to the nightshift that after these days Lord Kenobi would often hole himself at his desk for hours, furiously writing letters deep into the night, desperately trying to do something, anything for these people, his people. In the morning Anakin would arrive and find him with eyes bruised from lack of sleep, drinking pots and pots of caf to get through the day. Very occasionally Lord Kenobi would be exhausted enough to sleep through the dawn, and Anakin would arrive to find him still curled up in his bed, looking soft and vulnerable and unbearable human. It was not hard to convince Korkie to push back any meetings on those days and keep away the servants, with Anakin standing at the door of the Emperor’s bedroom to guard him from those most adamant to disturb his sleep. Lord Kenobi always lectured Anakin for allowing him to sleep-in, but it was worth it to see him looking so well-rested, even just for one day.

Anakin too was busy, with his days spent guarding Lord Kenobi and his nights spend practicing with weapons well into the wee hours. Anakin could no longer train with the rest of the guards as he had, but that did not mean he could allow himself to become sloppy. He still saw most of his friends at latemeal, and sometimes he could convince someone to spar with him after. He had not been beaten in swordplay by anyone since Rex, but with spears, daggers or hand-to-hand it was anyone's game, and it gave the clones great pleasure to beat Anakin up with their superior training. They were always happy to give him pointers though, and soon Anakin was, if not good, at least proficient in most forms of combat. Eventually, the clones came to see Anakin as one of their own, which led to Anakin sitting at a table in the same Inn he had been beaten soundly outside all those months ago, surrounded by drunk clones -

“Heyyyy Skyguy!”

\- and for some reason an equally drunk Ahsoka.

“Aren’t you a bit young to be drinking?” Anakin asked, swiping her drink and sniffing suspiciously. “Wait, is this Mandolorian mezcal? Are you trying to kill yourself?”

“Come on Skyguy, don’t be such a goody-two-shoes, that's Dogma’s job.”

“Hey!” cried one of the clones, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

“Aww don’t listen to Snips, brother,” said Fives, giving Dogma an unsteady pat on the shoulder. “She’s just mad because she has to get Rex to buy her liquor.”

At that moment Rex himself appeared, looking as put-together and grizzled as ever, setting another bottle of mezcal on the table. 

“Do my ears deceive me or are you badmouthing a superior officer, soldier?” he said, giving Fives his patented piercing stare.

Anakin tensed, preparing for another lecture, but everyone else at the table just laughed.

“Fives was just commenting on how Snips here has you wrapped around her little finger,” said Jesse, gesturing pointedly to where Ahsoka was filling a new glass of mezcal to replace the one Anakin had stole, sticking her tongue out at Anakin as she did so.

“Snips?” questioned Anakin.

“Because she’s so snippy!” shouted one of the clones.

“You’re just jealous of my superior wit and charm!” shouted back Ahsoka, causing a chorus of ooh’s from the table.

She turned to Anakin and her face became serious. “Clones are not given names,” she said, slurring her words a little. “They choose their own names. It's a great honour to be given a name.” 

Patting Anakin’s face she turned back to the table, voice becoming loud and boisterous again. “Now, who wants to do shots!”

“Okay,” said Anakin, gently removing the cup of mezcal from her fingers. “I’m cutting you off.”

Ahsoka booed him, making the clones laugh again, but someone pushed over a pitcher of water, which Anakin gladly took, pouring Ahsoka a glass.

“Captain Buzzkill,” she muttered darkly, sipping the water.

“Ha, Skywalker a Captain, I’d pay to see that,” said Jesse, snorting. 

“He couldn’t be worse than that sleemo Krell,” said Hardcase darkly. “And he was a General.”

There were a series of nods and commiserating looks around the table, most of the clones suddenly looking a lot more serious than they had a minute ago.

“You were in the same legion?” asked Anakin, trying to change the subject.

“Most of us,” answered Rex. “We’re what's left of the 501st legion.”

“And the 212nd,” interjected Waxer. “We were with the General from the start.” 

“Yeah well they combined our units after Umbara,” continued Rex. “There weren’t enough of us left, and General Krell was dead.”

“Good riddance,” said Hardcase.

“And then we were all one big happy legion,” finished Rex. “Until Ryloth.” 

“Bloody business Ryloth,” added Waxer, frowning. “Lots of good men lost.”

Boil patted him on the shoulder, looking equally grim. “We couldn’t have known. Even the General didn’t know it was a trap.”

“The Emperor knew,” said Waxer darkly. “He sent us to die.”

“Lord Kenobi sent you to die?” asked Anakin, aghast. That didn’t sound like the Emperor he was getting to know.

“Of course not,” replied Waxer sharply. “General Kenobi tried to save us, he freed us. It was Velorum who wanted Ryloth in the Empire so bad he didn’t care if a whole legion of brothers were slaughtered.”

Oh. No wonder Lord Kenobi had wanted to stab the old Emperor. 

“Lord Kenobi was a General?” piped up Ahsoka, who was now half lying on the table. “But he’s so...” She made a gesture with her hands that could have meant anything.

Waxer snorted, looking a bit less dour. “The best,” he said loyally. 

The clones all nodded in agreement. 

Boil raised his glass, sloshing it a little. “To General Kenobi,” he said, downing the liquor. 

“To the General!” shouted the rest of the clones, also downing their glasses. 

The mood started to pick back up after that, and the clones went back to ribbing each other. Anakin looked longingly at his glass of mezcal, before looking at Ahsoka, who was now fully lying on the bench under the table. He sighed.

“Come on Snips, I’ll take you back to your quarters.”

There was a chorus of awws from the clones and Ahsoka herself as Anakin hauled her up and led her out of the inn. Rex followed them out.

“Make sure she gets back safe,” he said brusquely, before heading back inside.

Artoo was sitting outside the inn waiting for them, his tail wagging exuberantly as they approached.

“Hey buddy,” said Anakin, going to pat Artoo’s head, but the dog ignored him, weaving past to nuzzle at Ahsoka, who was half hanging off Anakin.

“Aww Artoo are you feeling neglected because Skyguy doesn’t visit anymore?” said Ahsoka, patting the dog inelegantly. 

It was true that Artoo basically lived with Ahsoka since Anakin got his promotion, you couldn’t take a dog when guarding the Emperor, but the rejection still stung.

“I’m sorry buddy,” he said. “I’ve been busy, but I’ll make more time for you. I’ll even get you some sausages from the kitchen to make it up to you.”

It was probably just a reaction to the word ‘sausages’, it’s not like Artoo could understand him, but it was still gratifying when the dog begrudgingly allowed Anakin to rub between his ears, although he still stuck closer to Ahsoka as they walked back to the palace.

As they approached the Imperial Palace Anakin reflexively looked towards the window he knew led to Lord Kenobi’s rooms. The light was still on, even this late in the night. Anakin gave a resigned sigh. Lord Kenobi was probably up reading yet more letters. That man never stopped, it was a miracle he slept at all. Then Anakin noticed a shadow in the window and stopped short, making Ahsoka stumble. Someone was climbing out of the Emperor’s window. Anakin started to run, before stopping short. He needed to catch this person, but what if Lord Kenobi was injured and needed help? 

He turned to Ahsoka, who was now leaning on Artoo. 

“Ahsoka,” he said firmly, grabbing the girl's shoulders. “I need you to go to the Emperor’s rooms and check that he is okay. Take Artoo, tell them I sent you. If you can’t find the guards go get help. Can you do that?”

“Suuure,” she slurred. Then her eyes cleared a little, clearly processing what he was asking of her. “Wait what?”

Anakin gripped tighter, shaking her a little. He didn't have time for this.

“Please,” he said desperately. “Just go up to the Emperor’s rooms and make sure he’s okay. Okay?” 

“Okay,” said Ahsoka, and it would have to do, Anakin was already running towards where the figure was climbing down.

He unsheathed his sword as he ran forward, pointing it at the cloaked figure as they finished climbing down what Anakin could now see was a drainpipe. Stars, what idiot put a drainpipe right next to the Emperor’s rooms? No wonder so many assassins were getting in.

“Stop!” Anakin shouted as the figure dismounted. “Show yourself!”

The hooded figure stooped, seemingly deciding whether to run or stop and fight.

“Don’t try anything,” called Anakin. 

The figure's shoulders dropped as if they were sighing, which was strange, and then they turned towards Anakin, dropping their hood to reveal gold-auburn hair and piercing grey-blue eyes that were looking very peeved at Anakin for catching him.

Anakin started. “Lord Kenobi? What are you doing?”

The Emperor gave Anakin a disparaging look. “Going out,” he said casually, as if Anakin had not just caught him climbing out his rooms down a drainpipe.

Anakin raised his eyebrows incredulously. “Going out?”

“Yes Anakin, going out. Is that a problem?”

Anakin shook his head disbelievingly. “Considering that you are the Emperor and there have been several attempts on your life, yet you seem to be sneaking out unguarded, yes I think that is a problem!” he said, his voice rising to a hysterical pitch.

Lord Kenobi sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Force, you sound like Cody,” he said. He gave Anakin a defiant look. “Are you going to stop me?”

“Can I?” asked Anakin.

“No.”

“Then no,” he said. Stars, Cody was going to kill him. “But I am coming with you. Where’s the speeder?”

Lord Kenobi smiled. It was a dangerous smile. “Oh, we’re not taking a speeder.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo everybody. Thanks for waiting, this chapter has been a real bitch to write for whatever reason. I think I’m going to keep up the once a fortnight posting, so fingers crossed the next chapter comes a bit easier (I can already feel that it won’t be). See y'all in two weeks!


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